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Oregon's Scorching Summer: How's Your Car Doing? (VIDEO)

Customer service is the number one priority at Salem's Active Automotive.Photo and video by Tim King Salem-News.com

(SALEM, Ore.) - Record hot days haven't kept people off the streets in Salem. Cars take a beating on these sizzling summer days.

The auto techs at Active Automotive give Oregonians advice to make summer driving successful, so you can safely reach your destination.

With 18 years in the auto repair industry in Salem, Manager Tony Khalaf joined Active Automotive Services in Salem just less than a year ago.

"Summertime, people start going on vacation, going to Eugene or just over the mountain to go camping. Have good tires on your car, you want to check your brakes, all your fluids and your differentials, transmission, make sure there are no water leaks, coolant leaks, or anything to let the coolant disappear from the engine."

"The new aluminum heads and aluminum blocks, it has to have that coolant to keep it cool all the time. And people just keep adding water, well the water makes the aluminum twice as hot, because what it's doing is producing more heat inside that engine block. And you end up with blown head gaskets and a cracked block."

"The whole thing is maintenance. You know, you've got to bring it in every once in a while, have it checked out and make sure everything is working properly."

Some basic warnings can save lots of time and headaches.

Owner Juan Anguiano reminds our viewers, "It is very important that you pay attention to your service engine lights whenever they come on. Have a healthy vehicle and save gas, that's the main thing!"

"We've had many customers return and say 'you guys did a great job'. We offer the free vehicle inspection, we offer free check engine light diagnostics, and that's what we want; we want a long term customer, not just a one time."

If you want to learn what your car needs to make it through the coming weeks and months, call Active Automotive and make an appointment for a free car check up.

To reach Active Automotive, call 503 485-4326. Their shop is located at 3555 Blossom Drive NE in Salem.

Tim King is a former U.S. Marine with twenty years of experience on the west coast as a television news producer, photojournalist, reporter and assignment editor. In addition to his role as a war correspondent, this Los Angeles native serves as Salem-News.com's Executive News Editor.Tim spent the winter of 2006/07 in Afghanistan with Oregon troops. Tim recently returned from Iraq where he covered the war there while embedded with an Oregon Guard aviation unit. Serving the community in very real terms, Salem-News.com is the nation's only truly independent high traffic news Website, affiliated with Google News and several other major search engines and news aggregators.You can send Tim an email at this address: newsroom@salem-news.com

All comments and messages are approved by people and self promotional links or unacceptable comments are denied.

d brubaker August 2, 2009 10:11 pm (Pacific time)

i found active auto from an add on coupon connection and call and set up a time to bring in for my check engine light and i talked with tony and he had told me that it was free to clear the lite and i got there and he was really on his job thank you for a great job active auto

mrs ramsey August 2, 2009 8:59 pm (Pacific time)

just want every body to know that tony and his level of customer relations is above the call of his duties and is very help full when i did not have the money to fix my car tony set me up with a payment plan and he saved my car and my job thank you very much to him and his crew at active automotive

Customer August 1, 2009 9:39 pm (Pacific time)

They painted my car and I was really happy with the level of work. You could not tell anything had happened to my car!

Anonymous August 1, 2009 7:29 pm (Pacific time)

To Manny: If the $$$ is right, I am sure they can arrange something. ;-)